Transit of Knowledge

Knowledge is the awareness of a subject, and the degree of awareness can be marked from Acquaintance to Doctorate. Every human has knowledge and in my view can have enormous number of Ph.Ds in his or her own subject of interest.

The owner of a residence will know his house, in and out better than his neighbor even though he did not get a certified Degree from any University nor was he judged by a panel to compare his knowledge with those of others concerned.

I recently read an article on BBC’s Website “Why is it so hard to give good directions?” and a phrase used in the article caught my eye, "curse of knowledge". It’s a psychological quirk whereby ‘one’ finds it hard to see how others would see the world differently than the way one has perceived his own knowledge. This can also be explained using a simple example, when you give directions to someone on the phone ‘it’s the house on left’, you have already perceived that he is facing the direction normally you would have. Admit it, we have all faced this situation more times than we could recall.

The reality is, the curse of knowledge is not limited to problems in directions. It also prevails in arenas of work, education, entertainment and relationships. Its fault of neither, but the problem needs a solution none the less, and it’s a fairly straightforward one, but yes it does require some extra effort.

So the next time you are giving directions, explaining your views or merely seeking an answer, do not just point the obvious, explain the scenario.

Uncomplicate your Life

Live everyday preparing to live the next one better, not the day after.

Don't just acknowledge your present but accept it too, because only then will you gather the strength to recover/progress.

When you are on the ground, start your jumps with the closest apple and not the one on the top.

Bend, enough to pick up your leftovers, but not as much to dig your own grave.

Don't have expectations, when not met they hurt; whatever comes your way take it as a gift, for you will cherish it more.

If the world seems dull, greet everyone with a smile, it’s contagious, it will comeback with radiant colors.

Search for solitude with company for there is nothing worth more, than someone who understands your silence and comforts you enough, to speak your thoughts out loud.

Dreams and its conflicts

Dreams are best described as delusions. The audio visual affects which at times are realistic and at other more dramatic than science fiction. An environment where you can do the inevitable, achieve the impossible and die a death which even Hitler's imagination had failed to conceive.

As per my good friend, Dr. Freud, content of dreams is related to wish fulfillment and suggested that dreams have two types of content: manifest content and latent content. The manifest content is the actual literal subject-matter of the dream, while the latent content is the underlying meaning of these symbols. Freud believed that the latent content of dreams is suppressed and hidden by the subconscious mind in order to protect the individual from thoughts and feelings that are hard to cope with. By uncovering the hidden meaning of dreams, Freud believed that people could better understand their problems and resolve the issues that create difficulties in their lives.

Like all my friends Dr. Freud too has his flaws. He keeps forgetting that everyone on earth, which my other friend Willam calls a stage, have not spent their entire lives in a dimly lit room with a diwan placed at an odd angle in the centre. He was so bored that he actually wrote a book on it, which is available at the library of congress.

From what I have gathered, well, from what I have gathered from the synopsis, is that dreams are an outburst of imagination, thoughts and feelings produced by the subconscious mind which are beyond the means of survival for the conscious mind.

Huh! even our mind has its issues.

If dreams are just a play of thoughts and we forget most of it as soon as we wake up. Then why do they bother about its interpretation? And if it’s really just our suppressed wishes with special effects, then do we really need a professional to interpret it?

The trouble arises when two or more people in the same arena have different dreams, or when two or more people in different arena have the same one. The trouble in the latter is called competition and in the former is called a conflict. My concern is the former, because the latter has an end, the former never results in cent percent mutually agreed solution.

Dreams are the source of all innovation, every triumph in the world has drawn its power from dreams of one or many put together. Having stated the above I can even more confidently add that's its dream which escort aspirations which have resulted in wars.

A third person’s perspective or opinion cannot always be correct. Psychology is a science without logic, and logic is the factor that makes one believe in a statement. For that matter science is a continuously growing field of knowledge, the more we know the more it changes. The simplest logic I can use to defend the statement I am about to make is, for some green is a colour of peace and for other a symbol of envy.

What you see in your dream can only be described best by you yourself, since others may not like the same fruits that you think are your favourite.

So make your dreams your destiny and don’t let anyone tell you the story any other way…..

13^th June, 2012

If Life Was A Choice

How many of us would have chosen the life we live, ‘IF’ we knew what he had destined for us? Some would say ‘no one’ and others would say ‘everyone but me’. I am not certain how I would reply to my own question, but one thing I am certain about, i.e. the world would have never faced population crises.

Loss is what makes the profits valuable, in other words if we never lose we will never cherish what we have. Loss of a loved one makes you cherish those who are alive, loss of an asset creates value of what you still posses. The question that is asked is how much loss is necessary to appreciate your own life.

More often than we expect, someone would grieve to us of their losses, and even you, won’t be able to see anything left with them but their lives. What is a life worth if you have nothing to cherish and no one to share it with. Is it justified to expect them to smile? Do we make it worse by telling them that everything will be alright, when we have no unyielding assurance? If Life had a symbol designated to it would be a big red Question-mark.

He created all what is known and unknown to mankind in 6 days and on the 7^th he rested. That’s what some say. I believe he never stopped.

I am certain that many of us would have opted out if we knew our end, but I am also certain that there would be many who would wish to experience the moments of joy to be celebrated. Be it at the end or on the path of life.

Life has taken a lot, but it’s not over yet. Like the Sun and the Planets every human needs to take a look around every day for reasons unknown. He who is the creator wanted us to continue our search for he knew that if we knew our end, we would not look for reasons to appreciate our lives.

19^th May, 2012

The Toughest Job

A few years ago, I and my friend were discussing or rather complaining about our jobs to each other. She had worked since her teenage years as a Freelance Anchor and TV Host and now had taken up a 9 to 5 Job, which was not working out for her. When I asked why she had made the career switch, as now she is only making half of what she used to and has to work four times more, she replied that she needs the security and a stable income.

To me it was not the best choice I would have made at that age for myself, if I was in her shoes. Working four to eight days and making enough money to sponsor my own trips to Europe every month would have been the perfect career. I was adamant in my argument and persuaded her to move back to Freelancing and she kept defending her move giving reasons of drawbacks of the glamour world and other factors such as age. My final point of argument was that she can pursue Freelance Anchoring till the time she gets to that age and then get married. With her next statement she brought the argument to an end and my final point became the last, she replied “Being a Housewife is a Luxury I can’t ever afford”.

I still hold my argument that Freelancing is a better choice than a 9 to 5 job, as it gives you the liberty to do a lot more. Her statement did not win her the argument, but made me deviate from it.

Is being a house wife really a Luxury?

I do not consider so. From the observations I have made, being a Housewife looks like a full time job. With multiple roles to play, she is not just a Wife, a Mother and a Daughter in Law, but also a Cook, a Maid, a Nanny, a Teacher, a Waiter, a Nurse, a Counsellor and much more.

She doesn’t get to take a leave on public and bank holidays, even on family vocations she performs her duties. So the next time you ask a Housewife what she does all day, think twice as you might be intruding in her busy work schedule.

I say being a housewife is a job a man cannot execute.

9th May, 2012

Not to compete but just my views....

Here’s a question that was posed to the Dalai Lama:

"What thing about humanity surprises you the most?"

His answer was as follows:

"Man"

Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money

Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health

And then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn’t enjoy the present,

And as a result he doesn’t live in the present or the future

And he lives as if he’s never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived.

In my view

Life for those who 'do' is short and for those who 'don't' is a waste.

Every Human has a purpose to fulfill, which may require to earn money. even if it means money to travel to a temple in other cities to go and worship, or to gain knowledge, or to provide his family a happy and healthy life. 

If a man has died doing things for others and himself, whether he achieves it or not, he has lived his life.

If he lives 'thinking' what others have done? He is wasting his life.

The purest sanctity is to find a balance, in how much a man needs and how much he desires.

7th  May, 2012

A Brake From Routine

Technology hasn’t only made information available about objects that could only be known through scholars or travellers, but it has now brought everything at your finger tips. Google is not merely a web portal, but has become a synonym for a term like ‘search’. All you require is to type in ‘holiday destination around Delhi’ and it will list you over a dozen options with reviews, maps, hotels, food, weather conditions and everything else that you might want to know about. Among the various options I had, one of them always seems perfect for a weekend getaway, Rishikesh. Besides being known for its temples and religious virtues, it also offers a range of adventure sport activities such as, White Water Rafting, Trekking, Bungee Jumping, Para Gliding etc.

I had heard that, “when you are young you must travel and see the world, all you will need is a book and a pillow”, but this time I wanted to take a friend along. Unfortunately very few among the list of acquaintances I have, share the belief that sometimes all you need to rejuvenate is some peace and quiet of the wilderness. I managed to convince my friend Vival, who himself needed a break from the routine life that he was following.

The ideal time to leave Delhi is around 3am, when the roads are clear of traffic. At 11 o’clock in the night when I picked him up from the train station, we had a few hours to kill. After having burgers for dinner and a cup of coffee to keep us awake, we made last minute calls to see if anyone else wanted to join us. Before we could change our minds about the trip, we hit the highway an hour early. At about 3.30am we stopped at a roadside dhaba for some tea. In that hour long break we discussed how life had changed from what it used to be when we were still in our University in London, weighing our option that had to follow. We both understood the depth of our troubles, but as strange as it may sound, we narrated our stories as if they belonged to someone else, because neither of us at that moment was worried about anything in life.

We had covered half the distance already and would have reached our destination a bit early from the stipulated time. As much as we were in rush to crash on a bed, we knew we won’t find anything before sunrise. We drove at a nominal speed and took a second break near a cliff to catch a breath of fresh air and listen to the sound of the river which gushed a few hundred feet below us. Our calculations were accurate at 7am when we arrived at the camping site, the area was deserted. We looked around and woke up a few attendants. While Vival did the paper work, I grabbed a burger that we had got packed from McDonald’s before we left Delhi and after another cup of tea and a Hearty North Indian Breakfast, we both dozed off.

I woke up around noon, and looked outside, it was cloudy, which meant we would not be able to go rafting today. The facilities at the camping site did not look comfortable at all, so we headed out to explore the other options which could match our lazy ass lifestyles of the city. As we drove up the rocky terrain to get on to a real road, we spotted a Resort right next door to the camping site. We looked at each other and blamed our lethargy for the inconvenience we caused ourselves. After a bit of bargaining we managed to get a room for less than half the price. We had to let go the option of free meals, but we figured that we were going to eat out anyways. After lunch we continued our lame expedition and before we even realised it was time for dinner. We headed to our previous camping site for dinner assuming that there might be more travellers out there around the bonfire, but curse our luck, that due to expected rain all of them had cancelled. The camp owner was rather sympathetic of our bored faces and set up a miniaturise bon fire right outside our camp. After dinner we told him that we might not stay over at night as we will head out to Mussoorie, and will return in the morning, we dint want to tell him the truth, although we had already paid him, but still felt bad, as he had lost a lot of business due to the unpredicted change in weather. We checked in our rooms at the resort and for once the luck was in our favour, it rained heavily last night and we could see the camping sight below fighting with strong winds.

The next morning when we woke up it was still raining, our trip was turning out to be a bit lull, but again, we din’t regret it. The peace and quiet of the wilderness was working after all. As we were discussing our day the sun shone bright and I saw a raft filled with excited and over whelmed youngsters howling away as they hit the first rapid. I looked at Vival and he knew the question I was going to ask, and his instant response with conviction in his voice was ‘no’. After checking out we went down to the beach and were having tea when a couple of more rafts showed up. What amused me was the fact that out of the two of us, it’s me who doesn’t know how to swim and Vival’s excuse, that the cold water would make us sick sounded too phony, I think he was scared. I had made up my mind and was not going back to Delhi without getting a feel of adrenalin rush and fear run down my spine. I told him that he can sit and enjoy the weather for a few more hours, and he can pick me up from the drop off point. He might be lazy as hell, but is definitely not one of those who can sit alone; he eventually gave up and decided to join me.

In matter of minutes we had booked ourselves a raft and had geared up in life jackets. Vival had just started cursing the friend who had introduced us in London, when our instructor brought out declaration papers for us to sign which would wave him off from any responsibility, in case we would drown, or you know DIE!, Vival lost his serenity. I did not need to fall of the raft into rapid which would crush my bones against the rocky banks of the Ganga River, Vival’s fake death stare and drama was already killing me. He dipped in a tow, to check how cold the water was, and screamed words that only made everyone around us laugh in agreement. We finally set sail, if that’s what I could call it, since we hardly used our oars and were just drifting if the current. The first rapid wasn’t that scary at all, but we were shivering as the water was unexpectedly cold. Our instructor in the mid of the course switched rafts as the other one had problems balancing with the weight, and left us with a trainee, none of us objected. The second rapid was a Grade 3, and the first person to fall off was the trainee instructor. When he finally got on, we couldn’t stop laughing.

In the mid of the course, came a point where the current was slow, and the water deep enough to jump off from a cliff. Vival’s drama had finally ended and now he had more courage than I did, he was too enthusiastic to do a summer salt from a height of 25 feet, I on the other hand had a flash back of the last time I dived and hurt my tail bone. None the less I went for it, and this time asked our guide on how not to get hurt. I reached the top and without exaggeration started to tremble with fear. Vival did his stunt, as I stood up there praying and trying to remember the instructions. The queue behind me was getting impatient and before anyone decided to push me I made the jump, it felt like forever, infact midway I started wondering if I was already dead, and so could not feel the cold water, just to check, I looked down, and to my dismay I was alive because right then I hit the water and hit my jaw. It felt like someone had knocked the living daylight out of me. I don’t remember if it was the hit that altered some brain cells or my subconscious mind but somehow I learned how to swim. I reached the shore with a sense of achievement, recalling the adrenal rush and the whole drama I had created was a moment I could always tell a story about.

Another two rapids and our escapade came to an end. Spent another hour or two at the beach by the resort and tried to gather the last hour of peace before we headed back home.

Life is too short and uncertain to plan a big holiday, but mini-ones can be fast arranged provided you have a bit of taste for adventure in you.

 

February 2012